OU Basketball: Jennie Baranczyk Has 'Love' for Iowa, But Monday is All About Oklahoma

NORMAN — Jennie Baranczyk needs no introduction to Oklahoma’s second round opponent.

The Iowa Hawkeyes, in Norman this weekend as a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament, have been at the center of the sport over the past four years as the incomparable Caitlin Clark put women's basketball on the center stage.

But Baranczyk’s relationship with the Hawkeyes goes way back.

An Iowa native, Baranczyk played for Iowa from 2000-2004, helping the program win the 2001 Big Ten Championship.

“Just so we're all aware, I played there,” Baranczyk said, smiling, in her opening answer at Sunday’s press conference.

It’s not a new feeling for Baranczyk.

She played her alma mater when she coached at Drake, where she went 1-8 against the Hawkeyes, so she learned how to approach those matchups.

“At the beginning it's personal and you want it so bad for yourself, right? And then you realize it's really not about you. Then you grow,” Baranczyk said. “You start to see your teams compete. Then it becomes a game, and then you can have really respect and love for a place that you came from and other programs and you keep it between the lines, because you want to win every game that you play. Every other game that Iowa plays, I want them to win. Of course I do.”

Iowa coach Jan Jensen started as an assistant with the Hawkeyes in Baranczyk’s freshman year after having previously recruiting the current OU coach when Jansen was working under former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder at Drake.

“She's also an amazing coach,” Jensen said on Sunday. “Look at the success she's had. One of the most competitive, fiery, never going to back down kids that I've ever coached.

“… I just remember her fight, and it's been no surprise, if you watch her, she's got that fight on the sideline and she's going to go and she's going to attack anything that she feels is worth doing, she's going to give it everything she's got.”

There's a very real chance Jan Jensen coaches against one of her former players in Norman -- Sooners HC Jennie Barancyzk.

Jensen recruited her at Drake, then Iowa where she became an all B1G player from '00-04

"One of the most competitive kids I ever coached..." pic.twitter.com/QhARnOuI0Q
— Blake Hornstein (@BlakeHornTV) March 19, 2025

Both coaches are focused on the players that will actually be suiting up on Monday (3 p.m., ESPN) and putting them in the best position to win, but there is someone from Baranczyk and Jensen’s time at Iowa the teams will be joining together to honor.

Jamie Cavey-Lang, who played for the Hawkeyes from 2001-2005 and then went on to become Iowa’s radio color analyst, died last December after battling cancer.

“This game will be a little bit sentimental because I lost one of my teammates that I played with at Iowa," Baranczyk said, fighting back tears. "She's a mom … and that's humbling. That's hard. That's going to be something that we're going to celebrate tomorrow. So you'll see us have 52 pins on. So we're going to get some for the Iowa staff as well.

“And that will be somebody that we want to celebrate and honor during this game. Because she meant a lot to me personally, but she really meant a lot to that program, and that's important for me on both levels.”

Everything Baranczyk preaches about her program — to play with passion and love the game and love the people you play it with — were all lessons she learned at Iowa.

Both Baranczyk and Jensen wish they could reach the Sweet Sixteen together, but for 40 minutes on Monday, everyone will have to set the past aside.

“You want to keep it a game, too,” Baranczyk said. “I really want to keep it on how special our team has been this year. We've had a phenomenal year. It's been a hard year and it's been one that we've had to fall down, get up, had to grow. We've had to — we're in a new conference. Every game we've played this season has been like an NCAA tournament game.

“So it's just been a really cool journey that goes back a couple years. This team has really grown together, so that's really where I want to keep the focus as much as I can.”